Newly updated, Andrew Nikiforuk's Tar Sands is a critical exposé of the world's largest energy project-the Alberta oil sands-that has made Canada one of the worst environmental offenders on earth.

The United States imports the majority of its oil, not from Saudi Arabia or Venezuela, but from its neighbour to the north. Canada has one third of the world's oil source; it comes from the bitumen in the Athabasca oil sands of Alberta. Advancements in technology and frenzied development have created the world's largest energy project in Fort McMurray. Much of this dirty oil is being processed in refineries in the Midwest where the proposed Keystone pipeline would run. This out-of-control megaproject is polluting the air, poisoning the water, and destroying boreal forest at a rate almost too rapid to be imagined.

In Tar Sands, journalist Andrew Nikiforuk exposes the disastrous social, political, and environmental impact of the tar sands and argues forcefully for change. Combining extensive scientific research and compelling writing, Nikiforuk takes the reader to Fort McMurray, home to some of the world's largest open-pit mines, and explores this twenty-first-century pioneer town from the high cost of housing to its more serious social ills, complete with rapturous engineers, cut-throat cocaine dealers, aimless bush workers, American evangelicals, and the largest population of homeless people in northern Canada. He also explains that this micro-economy supplies gasoline for 50 percent of Canadian vehicles and 16 percent of U.S. demand. Readers will learn that oil sands:

burn more carbon than conventional oil

destroy forests and displace woodland caribou

spill and poison the water supply and communities downstream

drain the Athabasca, the river that feeds Canada's largest watershed

contribute to climate change

The book does provide hope, however, and ends with an exploration of possible solutions to the problem. And this updated edition Nikiforuk adds a new afterword, a new appendix on the hidden costs of steam extraction, and a response to the criticism he received for the first edition.

Andrew Nikiforuk is an award-winning Canadian journalist. His books include Saboteurs: Wiebo Ludwig’s War against Big Oil, which won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction. He lives in Calgary, Alberta.

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Reviews

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Pete from
This is good info for those thinking about taking advantage of the boom.

Date published: 2014-04-11

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Editorial Reviews

"The environmental problems addressed in [Tar Sands] raise the broader issue of redefining man's relationship to Earth, and underscore the connectedness of life whether tortoise, Texan, or tree.""ForeWord Magazine""Environmentally-minded readers will find a lot to like here, and Canadian and American citizens would do well to keep themselves informed of this problem with continent-wide implications.”ForeWord Magazine“[Nikiforuk] argues convincingly in Tar Sands that neither Alberta nor Canada has come to terms with the true extent of the environmental devastation.”Alternatives Journal“Tar Sands exposes the disastrous environmental, social and political costs of the Alberta oil sands and argues forcefully for a change.”Prairie Books NOW“The Calgary author contends that Canada is starting to resemble the petro-states of South America and the Middle East -- rich in oil but short on democracy and freedom of speech--and that Alberta's tar-sands development is mismanaged, environmentally toxic, bad for Canada's autonomy and short on long-term benefits for Albertans. Nikiforuk has a point, and he has guts. He also explains the tar sands in a straightforward way, something government and industry have been slow to do, apparently with reason.”National Post“Although I am not so naive as to suggest that these companies halt their operations, the comment that ""environmental concerns are paramount"" is simply unbelievable. After considering those comments about restoration, I would recommend reading Andrew Nikiforuk's excellent book, Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent, in which he highlights the fiction of reclamation. I expect the majority of Calgarians would not want tailings ponds in their vicinity, or their water or air to be polluted as it is in northern Alberta.”Calgary Herald“Tar Sands explores the costs and benefits of the current oil sands boom, placing it in the larger context of global climate change and continental energy policy. The result isn’t pretty. Not that the writing isn’t compelling: it is. You’ll find the same combination of comprehensive research, compelling storytelling and entertaining irony that won Nikiforuk a Governor General’s Award for Saboteurs (2002).”Alberta Views Magazine""With Tar Sands, Nikiforuk, a Calgary based writer…vividly lays out a damning assessment of energy development in Northern Alberta.""Green & Organic LifestylesI made the mistake of skimming Tar Sands’ introductory ‘Declaration of a Political Emergency’ one night before bed – and couldn’t put the book down before I had finishedAlberta Views Magazine“Tar Sands tells a well-known story in a new way. We see not only the large-scale environmental destruction that we have come to associate with this mega-project, but also the local social problems that result… The book’s greatest strength is [his] ability to show the impacts of the tar sands on real people.”Literary Review of Canada“Nikiforuk’s book is important. It’s provoking. It should restart the national debate. It is an exhaustively researched, comprehensive, survey of everything about the tar sands, compressed into some 180 pages. As you would expect, it is not a pretty story. …Nikiforuk does not belong to the ‘don’t worry – be happy’ school of thought. He’s genuinely concerned about our governments’ ability to solve the problem that the tar sands present. …Nikiforuk packs an emotional punch that will leave a mark on any reader.”Island Tides Magazine“Award-winning author and journalist Andrew Nikiforuk sheds light and warning on the bitumen industry in Tar Sands… at the heart of Nikiforuk’s scathing criticism of petropolitics are the social and environmental injustices, turning the surrounding community into ‘a carbon storm and the planet’s third-largest watershed into a petroleum garbage dump.’ The shocking claims are not meant as a scare tactic, but rather a call for collective movement, led by the author’s insightful ‘Twelve Steps to Energy Sanity.’”E Magazine“Packed with shocking statistics that condemn the Canadian oil industry, 200 pages is more than enough to convince any reader that the tar sands are anything but sustainable. …This book is perfect for anyone who is interested in reducing their reliance on oil products, or who is researching and fighting for change in Canadian mining practices.”Outwords Magazine“Nikiforuk provides an insiders deep insight into the corruption and collusion within the Alberta government based on the First Law of Petro-Politics, where political freedom invariably declines as the price and production of oil increases. …Nikiforuk’s book, written in his caustic style of investigative journalism, ...sometimes resembles a political thriller.”Canadian DimensionNikiforuk’s book, written in his caustic style of investigative journalism, makes [an] entertaining read, sometimes resembling a political thrillerCanadian Dimension“In his 2008 book, Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent, Nikiforuk offers a scathing critique of what he calls the corporate greed and regulatory indifference that have attended development of Canada’s vast oil patch. Mr. Nikiforuk spoke with Green Inc. recently about how President Barak Obama, who has promised to pursue energy independence for the United States and who is expected to make a state visit to Canada later this month, might regard the tar sands.”New York Times Green Inc. Blog“The Calgary author contends that Canada is starting to resemble the petro-states of South America and the Middle East – rich in oil but short on democracy and freedom of speech – and that Alberta’s tar sands development is mismanaged, environmentally toxic, bad for Canada’s autonomy and short on long-term benefits for Albertans.”National Post“Required reading for the President in preparation for his first foreign trop is the book Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent, by Andrew Nikiforuk, which was published to wide acclaim in Canada in the fall… It details the impact that the $200 billion of oil money that has poured into the region has had, creating the world’s largest energy project and one of its dirtiest and most dangerous. In anticipation of Obama’s visit, Prime Minister Harper told the press: ‘To be frank on the oil sands, we’ve got to do a better job environmentally.’ Read Nikiforuk’s book and you’ll see why Harper’s comment has already won the award for Biggest Understatement of 2009.”Huffington Post“Canada has no cohesive energy policy. Nor does it have a cohesive environmental policy. Put the two together, and you get the tar sands of Alberta, in all their hideous glory. Andrew Nikiforuk’s Tar Sands… lays bare the idiocy of this malignant neglect. The book is, in essence, a revolting, blush-making case for Canada to develop integrated energy and environmental regulation suitable for the post-carbon age. And then swiftly enforce it. …As Nikiforuk shows all too clearly, the massive and growing project gulps fresh water, destroys valuable boreal forest, poisons air, water and soil and uses up a substantial portion of the energy it produces. …It’s a bad deal for the local environment. It’s a rotten deal for taxpayers and citizens.”Globe and Mail“Nikiforuk has a point, and he has guts. He also explains the tar sands in a straightforward way – something the cheerful websites of government and industry have been slow to do, apparently with reason. Nikiforuk’s language leans towards the incendiary: the oil sands are ‘a provincial debacle and a national fiasco’; coal-bed methane wells are ‘carpet bombing’ farmland… The government website wouldn’t but it quite like that. And that is exactly why one should buy this book.”Edmonton Journal“While many Alberta businesses and employees watched with trepidation as the price of oil dropped dramatically over the past six months, Alberta journalist and author Andrew Nikiforuk sees a silver lining in a possible bust. With oil sands wealth dwindling, Canada can finally have a national conversation not only about the development of the oil sands, but also on Canada’s overall energy policy, he says. The award-winning national magazine writer has authored several books on the oil and gas industry… [and] the years of research that went into these books have given him a confident, no-nonsense approach to the oil industry.”SEE Magazine“Nikiforuk documents a mind-boggling array of government abuses: mismanagement, graft, and general neglect have contributed to the problem. Further, he catalogues the massive environmental destruction necessary to make tar sands exploration a viable (read: profitable) enterprise. His book is at its strongest here, examining the total costs of bitumen.”Socialist Worker“In his recent book Tar Sands… Nikiforuk lands a knockout blow on the kissers of the oil industry, oil-friendly bureaucrats, and petrol-guzzling North Americans. It is obvious that this Canadian is sick and tired of watching his own beloved habitat mutate from a pristine Northern ecosystem to a veritable toxic wasteland. …His book combines intensive research with a lively, caustic writing style… sort of enlightened invective. This makes for an astonishingly entertaining read that raises your hackles while raising your awareness about a seriously dangerous issue. …With Nikiforuk barking and biting at the heels of the oiligarchs stomping around his home turf, every Canadian and American will have little difficulty recognizing that bitumen is far too dirty to have a place in the future of our continent.”Sustainablog“The Alberta tar sands are a cesspool of pollution. Nikiforuk’s elegantly written book delivers all the gory details about toxic lakes, heat-trapping greenhouse gases, and the fiction of reclamation. Tar Sands also reveals how Canada’s new status as a petrostate has jeopardized its democracy. His 12 steps to energy sanity should be required reading for every citizen.”Georgia Straight“It’s an important book, one that every Canadian should read to find out how the world’s largest energy project will affect us.”David Suzuki Foundation“If you want to be scared, you don’t need to watch a horror movie or read the latest Stephen King bestseller. Real terror can be found by simply firing up Google Earth… [where] you can see what Albertas tar sands look like from space. It’s not a pretty sight… A recent book by celebrated journalist Andrew Nikiforuk, Tar Sands… explores what these grey spots on Google Earth mean to Canada’s environment and economy. It’s an important book, one that every Canadian should read to find out how the worlds largest energy project will affect us.”Georgia Straight“[Tar Sands] provides an excellent guide to all of the environmental repercussions of our oil dependency. The political analysis is also good, sounding a warning about our dangerous energy 'interdependence' with the declining American empire…”Quill & Quire“Nikiforuk believes the tar sands should be developed gradually and with far greater environmental sensitivity… Nikiforuk paints a picture of the current development as an environmental cesspool. In fact… the tar sands are Canada’s single largest growing source of carbon dioxide, and by 2020 will account for no less than 16% of the nation’s total emissions.”Regina Leader-Post“Nikiforuk …took pains to ensure his book went beyond preaching to the converted. Tar Sands begins with a bluntly worded 22-point ‘declaration of a political emergency’ and ends with a 12-step plan to regain ‘energy sanity,’ which includes action the general reader can take. In between, Nikiforuk writes not only about environmental and political concerns, but takes the reader into the frenzied boom of Fort McMurray and along the so-called ‘highway to hell’ that leads to it.”Calgary Herald“Investigative journalist and national treasure Andrew Nikiforuk documents the exorbitant economic, social and environmental costs of building Alberta’s Tar Sands.”Maisonneuve“Award-winning journalist Andrew Nikiforuk explores why, while the world is going green, Canada is going black in Tar Sands, which includes a fascinating look at Fort McMurray’s black-gold rush town, often lawless and corrupt.”Canadian Bookseller